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How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

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Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#141

Post by webmaven »

Tagbert wrote: post #64
black_puppydog wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, some of these patents should already be reaching their half-life at least. :) But yeah, it was a sad day for me when I learned why e-ink isn't ubiquitous.

The first generation of patents has already expired. The company has been issued additional patents for techniques that went into the more recent versions. It means that someone probably could make screens now, but they would be lower resolution, slower refresh and have less contrast than your typical Kindle. Probably good for some uses but probably not enough of a volume to bring prices down.

> It means that someone probably could make screens now, but they would be lower resolution, slower refresh and have less contrast than your typical Kindle. Probably good for some uses but probably not enough of a volume to bring prices down.

It also means that someone could advance the basic tech in directions that haven't been patented.

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#142

Post by Eric_WVGG »

empalms wrote: post #20

Every time an E Ink article is posted the patent defeatism is inevitable. I’m curious if there are other techniques to implement reflective(?) displays being explored that wouldn’t fall within the scope of E Ink’s defensible moat, or, if their parents are simply so broad as to stifle most hopes of accessible solutions and broader consumer/professional adoption. Frankly, I’m quite sick of straining my eyes and circadi…

Zikon http://www.zikon.com ClearInk https://clearinkdisplays.com

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#143

Post by franga2000 »

hutzlibu wrote: post #72
ineedasername wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To paraphrase Planck: technology advances with the funeral of each patent.

Maybe not originaly, but as of today it very much seems like it. Related: maybe we will be done with covid, by the time the vaccines patents run out.

Didn't at least Moderna and maybe others publicly state they would not litigate any patents related to covid vaccines for the duration of the pandemic? Or am I completely misremembering this?

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#144

Post by keewee7 »

>These include the Guoyue Smartbook V5 Color, the HiSense A5C Color Smartphone, the Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color, and the PocketBook Color.

Three of these are designed and made by Chinese companies. Only the PocketBook is designed by a Swiss company.

Why has the West lost the ability to innovate?

No, creepy adtech from Silicon Valley is not useful innovation.

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#146

Post by ineedasername »

jMyles wrote: post #125
ineedasername wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem would require turning the entire global IP & supporting legal systems on their head. WTO, nation-specific laws, etc. Technology seems to move a lot faster than paradigm shifts in government.

This is like saying that, if you want to use a particular prohibited plant or compound, you need to first end drug prohibition and the worldwide system of cartel profiteering. While it is most certainly a good idea to do that, you don't need to wait until the process is complete to include these items in your diet.

Then we're talking about different things, because I was thinking in terms of mass market adoption. A few instances of gray market or IP "theft" here and there isn't going to cause much of a stir. But if Samsung/Apple/other companies want to make a large scale retail offering then it won't work under the current global network of IP protection. As a result, these same companies with the biggest budgets to make progress in research won't devote those budgets to IP they don't own or can't license at a profitable fee.

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#147

Post by hutzlibu »

franga2000 wrote: post #143
hutzlibu wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not originaly, but as of today it very much seems like it. Related: maybe we will be done with covid, by the time the vaccines patents run out.

Didn't at least Moderna and maybe others publicly state they would not litigate any patents related to covid vaccines for the duration of the pandemic? Or am I completely misremembering this?

Lots of things have been said - and I vaguely remember something too, but also a dispute that US pushing for relaxing of the patents and the EU not, because Moderna is german based .. in any case it is not so easy, as it is not just about the vaccines, but for the production of the vaccines to set up, you need to licence or buy a lot of other stuff ... which is why my joke was obviously a oversimplification.

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#148

Post by unityByFreedom »

ineedasername wrote: post #55
seneca wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth noting that Onyx violates the Linux kernel license, and has a ton of telemetry that phones home to China. Major down sides for otherwise interesting tech.

Wow yes, that's a downside. I found a forum post [0] where someone monitored web traffic and it was analytics data, but still not great. And the GPL violation is an abuse of the FOSS community they rely on for free development. [0] https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335605

Well, they come out with three new versions of their devices per month and you probably have no chance of servicing any type of warranty as they are based in China. You're not missing much if you wait for a company who can make decisions to release a better product, and you'll probably save yourself a headache.

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#149

Post by jck »

smeej wrote: post #85

I've been using an Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color for about a year now, mostly to upload epubs and highlight in 4 colors using Google Play Books, which then sends all the highlights to a Google Doc per book. I'd say that device is "color" like the Gameboy Color was "color." It certainly isn't vivid, but the colors are distinguishable. I wish I knew how to take that output (a really annoying table format) and process it into…

You could use readwise.io (a paid service) to import your highlights from Google play books and many other services. Readwise offers an API which would help you process those annotations easier than parsing the google doc

Re: How E Ink developed full-color e-paper

#150

Post by boondaburrah »

ineedasername wrote: post #38

The article misses a significant device: Onyx Nova 3. The major difference between its prior color offering (poke 2) is the integration of a Wacom layer that makes this very good for note taking. The other hardware and software improvements appear to be incremental. Of particular note with all Onyx readers is that they run Android, opening up the ecosystem of the Play store and particularly your note-taking app of ch…

Onyx makes the best ereader hardware and the worst software. I really wish they hadn't gone with android (they used to have a linux firmware and supplied SDK), since like most android IoT devices (though this isn't one) you get stuck with an abandoned android distro from day one. The actual reading app is buggy as well (can absolutely get stuck when flipping pages backwards, then suddenly flips like 20 for one button press).

The wacom stylus (I love that the touchscreen isn't sensitive to my palm) is the best feature of my boox n96ml though. It's got a nice big screen for scribbling notes on and appears to be pressure sensitive as well. That alone sold it to me and I still don't regret it because having a wacom-type stylus is just /that good of a feature/.

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